Lung cancer vaccine from Cuba: America is trying to get it approved

Lung cancer is a killer. A fact the people of Cuba know well, since it is the fourth leading cause of death in a country known for fine cigars. Now American researchers are studying a Cuban made cancer vaccine, called CimaVax, used to protect people there from the deadly disease for decades.

“We’re still at the very early stages of assessing the promise of this vaccine, but the evidence so far from clinical trials in Cuba and Europe has been striking,” said Dr. Kelvin Lee, with the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York, the research center evaluating CimaVax.

Only half those diagnosed with late stage lung cancer survive for one year, making it the number one cancer killer in the U.S.. A 2007 study of lung cancer patients, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, confirmed CimaVax was safe and effective, especially for the survival rate of patients under 60.

A new vaccine, CimaVax has been in development for a quarter of a century. CimaVax targets a growth factor in the body called EGF, which allows cancer to survive. By attacking EGF, the cancer starves and its growth slows, extending a patient's life for seven to 18 months on average.

Early studies with CimaVax have shown minimal side effects, like nausea, fever, and vomiting. The drug has been used to treat 5,000 cases of lung cancer worldwide, but with FDA approval pending in the U.S., testing in America will not commence for some time.

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